This invention relates to the identification of peptide sequences which permit or facilitate the transport of drugs, macromolecules, or particles, such as biodegradable nano- and microparticles, through human or animal tissues. In particular, this invention relates to the use of phage display libraries in a screening assay in order to determine the identity of peptides sequences which enhance the delivery of the bacteriophage through tissue, such as epithelial cells lining the lumenal side of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT).
The epithelial cells lining the lumenal side of the GIT are a major barrier to drug delivery following oral administration. However, there are four recognized transport pathways which can be exploited to facilitate drug delivery and transport: the transcellular, paracellular, carrier-mediated and transcytotic transport pathways. The ability of a conventional drug, peptide, protein, macromolecule or nano- or microparticulate system to xe2x80x9cinteractxe2x80x9d with one of these transport pathways may result in increased delivery of that drug or particle from the GIT to the underlying circulation.
In the case of the receptor-mediated, carrier-mediated or transcytotic transport pathways, some of the xe2x80x9cuptakexe2x80x9d signals have been identified. These signals include, inter alia, folic acid, which interacts with the folate receptor, mannose and cetylmannoside, which interact with the mannose receptor, and cobalamin, which interacts with Intrinsic Factor. In addition, leucine- and tyrosine-based peptide sorting motifs or internalization sequences exist, such as YSKV, FPHL, YRGV, YQTI, TEQF, TEVM, TSAF, YTRF, which facilitate uptake or targeting of proteins from the plasma membrane to endosomes. Phage display libraries can be screened using specific membrane receptors or binding sites to identify peptides that bind specifically to the receptor or binding site. The ability of certain motifs or domains of peptides or proteins to interact with specific membrane receptors, followed by cellular uptake of the protein:receptor complex may point towards the potential application of such motifs in facilitating the delivery of drugs. However, the identification of peptides or peptide motifs by their ability to interact with specific receptor sites or carrier sites, such as sites expressed on the apical side of the epithelial sites of the GIT, may not be able to determine, or may not be the most effective way to determine, the identity of peptides capable of enhancing the transport of an active agent, especially a drug-loaded nano- or microparticle, through tissues such as epithelial lining.
Non-receptor-based assays to discover particular ligands have also been used. For instance, a strategy for identifying peptides that alter cellular function by scanning whole cells with phage display libraries is disclosed in Fong et al., Drug Development Research 33:64-70 (1994). However, because whole cells, rather than intact tissue or polarized cell cultures, are used for screening phage display libraries, this procedure does not provide information regarding sequences whose primary function includes affecting transport across polarized cell layers.
Additionally, Stevenson et al., Pharmaceutical Res. 12(9), S94 (1995) discloses the use of Caco-2 monolayers to screen a synthetic tripeptide combinatorial library for information relating to the permeability of di- and tri-peptides. While useful, this technique does not assess the ability of the disclosed di- and tri-peptides to enhance delivery of a drug, especially a drug-loaded nano- or microparticle formulation.
Thus, there exists a need for a method of determining peptide sequences that are particularly effective in transporting drugs, including drug-loaded nano- and microparticles, across a human or animal tissue barrier.
The invention provides a method of identifying a peptide which permits or facilitates the transport of an active agent through a human or animal tissue. A predetermined amount of phage from a random phage library is plated unto or brought into contact with a first side, preferably the apical side, of a tissue sample, either in vitro, in vivo or in situ, or polarized tissue cell culture. At a predetermined time, the phage which is transported to a second side of the tissue opposite the first side, preferably the basolateral side, is harvested to select transported phages. The transported phages are amplified in a host and this cycle of events is repeated (using the transported phages produced in the most recent cycle) a predetermined number of times, such as from zero to six times, to obtain a selected phage library containing phage which can be transported from the first side to the second side. Lastly, the sequence of at least one random peptide coded by phage in the selected phage library is determined in order to identify a peptide which permits or facilitates the transport of an active agent through a human or animal tissue. The transported phage can be viewed as a combination of a transporter peptide (the at least one random peptide coded by the phage) associated with an active agent payload (the phage) in which the transporter peptide facilitates the transport of the active agent through the tissue. Thus, the random peptides coded by phage in the selected phage library are predictively capable of facilitating transport of other active agents, such as drug encapsulated nano- and/or microparticles, through the particular tissue.
Preferably, the tissue sample derives from the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, pelvic colon, vascular endothelium cells which line the vascular system, vascular endothelial cells which form the blood brain barrier, alveolar cells, liver, kidney, bone marrow, retinal cells of the eye or neuronal tissue. The tissue sample can be either in vitro or in vivo More preferably, the tissue sample comprises epithelial cells lining the lumenal side of the GIT, such as isolated rat colon or small intestine segments or epithelial cells lining the lumenal side of the GIT found in an open or closed loop animal model system. Other preferred tissue samples are heart, spleen, pancrease, thymus and brain tissue.
Preferably, the polarized tissue cell culture sample is cultured from GIT epithelial cells, alveolar cells, endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier, or vascular smooth muscle cells. More preferably, the polarized tissue cell culture sample is a polarized Caco-2 cell culture or a polarized T-84 cell culture.
Preferably, the active agent is a drug or a nano- or microparticle. More preferably, the active agent is a drug encapsulated or drug loaded nano- or microparticle, such as a biodegradable nano- or microparticle, in which the peptide is physically adsorbed or coated or covalently bonded, such as directly linked or linked via a linking moiety, onto the surface of the nano- or microparticle. Alternatively, the peptide can form the nano- or microparticle itself or can be directly conjugated to the active agent. Such conjugations include fusion proteins in which a DNA sequence coding for the peptide is fused in-frame to the gene or cDNA coding for a therapeutic peptide or protein, such that the modified gene codes for a recombinant fusion protein in which the xe2x80x9ctargetingxe2x80x9d peptide is fused to the therapeutic peptide or protein and where the xe2x80x9ctargetingxe2x80x9d peptide increases the absoption of the fusion protein from the GIT.